How to Make General Tso Chicken

General Tso chicken is a popular, moderately spicy dish found at many Chinese-American restaurants. If you don't feel like ordering take-out, though, you can always make your own version at home. You'll know exactly what goes into it and you can modify the flavors -- making it even healthier and more delicious. Be sure to make more than enough!

Ingredients

Makes 2 to 4 servings

Chicken

1 lb (450 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) cornstarch
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) ground black pepper
3 cups (750 ml) and 1 Tbsp (15 ml) frying oil
8 dried whole red chilis

Marinade

1 Tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce
1 Tbsp (15 ml) rice wine
2 egg whites

Sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp (15 ml) frying oil
1/4 cup (60 ml) chicken stock
1 1/2 Tbsp (22.5 ml) tomato paste
1 Tbsp (15 ml) rice vinegar
1 tsp (5 ml) hoisin sauce
1 tsp (5 ml) chili paste
1 tsp (5 ml) sesame oil
1 Tbsp (15 ml) sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) cornstarch

Garnish

Sesame seeds
Scallions
Hot cooked rice

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Coating the Chicken

1
Combine the marinade ingredients.^{[1]
X
Research source} Whisk together the soy sauce, rice wine, and egg whites in a large bowl.
- If you do not have rice wine, you could also use dry sherry.
2
Cut the chicken into small pieces. Each piece should be about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in width and length.
- Your chicken should be mostly thawed before preparing it; however, leaving the chicken partially frozen can actually make it easier to cut.
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3
Let the chicken soak in the marinade. Add the chicken cubes to the bowl of marinade and toss them gently with a fork or spoon so that all pieces get an even coating of marinade.
- Allow the chicken to marinate for 10 to 30 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and sit it inside the refrigerator during the marinating process.
4
Prepare the breading. In another large bowl, mix together the 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Stir until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- To make coating the chicken easier, use a shallow bowl with a large mouth. You could also use a large plate with a lip or rim.
- Prepare this mixture as the chicken marinates and set it aside until you pull the chicken out.
5
Coat the chicken. Remove each piece of chicken from the marinade and dredge all sides in the cornstarch mixture.
- Before dredging the chicken in the cornstarch, hold each marinated piece above the bowl of marinade for a few seconds, allowing the excess to drip off.
- When finished dredging each piece, likely shake it to remove excess breading.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Preparing the Sauce

1
Heat the garlic.^{[2]
X
Research source} Heat 1 Tbsp (15 ml) cooking oil in a large, heavy saucepan over high heat. Once hot, stir-fry the minced garlic for 1 minute or until fragrant and tinted brown.
- Stir constantly as you cook the garlic to prevent it from burning.
- Test the oil to determine if it is hot enough by sprinkling the pan with a few drops of water. If the water immediately sizzles upon coming into contact with the oil, the pan is hot enough.
- Use vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil.
2
Combine the other sauce ingredients separately. In a separate medium bowl, combine the chicken stock, tomato paste, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili paste, sesame oil, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth.
- Make sure that the cornstarch and sugar have become completely dissolved.
- If you do not have rice vinegar, you can use white distilled vinegar, instead.
- If you do not have chicken stock, use chicken broth or water.
- If you cannot find chili paste, you can use 2 tsp (10 ml) cayenne pepper in its place.
3
Add the liquid to the pan and heat. Slowly pour the seasoned chicken stock into the saucepan with the garlic. Stir continually until the sauce thickens.
- The sauce should also become somewhat shiny as it thickens.
- After it thickens, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and keep it warm until ready to use with the chicken.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Frying the Chicken

1
Heat the frying oil.^{[3]
X
Research source} #Heat 3 cups (750 ml) frying oil in a large, heavy pan or deep fryer.
- Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature of the oil. It is ready to use when it reaches a temperature between 350 and 360 degrees Fahrenheit (177 to 182 degrees Celsius).
- Use vegetable oil, canola oil, peanut oil, or grapeseed oil.
2
Fry the chicken. Cook the chicken in two to four batches until golden brown and crispy on the outside. The inside should be cooked through, and each batch will take roughly 4 to 5 minutes.
- Before frying full batches, test the oil by dropping one piece of chicken into it and cooking the chicken for 4 minutes. If this works well, then slowly add the remaining chicken into the oil in small batches.
3
Drain the chicken. After each batch is cooked through, remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and drain the pieces on plates lined with clean paper towels.
- Gently tap the slotted spoon on the side of the pan or deep fryer as you remove the chicken to help reduce the amount of oil splatter on your kitchen counter.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Stir-Frying the Dish

1
Reheat your pan over medium-high heat.^{[4]
X
Research source} If you used a heavy skillet to fry your chicken, dump the oil and heat 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of fresh oil in the pan over medium-high heat.
- If you used a deep fryer to fry the chicken, you will need to use a separate skillet for this step.
- Use the same type of oil used for the other steps of this recipe.
2
Stir-fry the chilis. Add the dried red chilis to the oil and stir-fry until just fragrant. This will only take 20 to 30 seconds.
- If desired, you can chop the peppers before adding them so that they are dispersed throughout the dish more evenly.
3
Transfer the sauce to the pan. Pour your warm sauce into the pan and cook for about 1 minute, stirring to incorporate the stir-fried chilis.
- Since the sauce was thickened separately and kept warm, you will not need to heat it very long during this step. You only need to heat it long enough to see a few bubbles start to form.
4
Add the chicken. Transfer the fried, drained chicken to the sauce and stir well so that each piece is well coated with the sauce.
- Depending on how long the chicken has been draining, you may need to keep the chicken in the sauce for a few minutes in order to reheat it.
5
Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions. General Tso chicken should be enjoyed warm.
- Pile white or brown rice into individual serving bowls. Pour a serving spoonful of chicken over the rice and sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds and chopped scallions.